Red Rum Club at Liverpool 02 Academy
Red Rum Club played to a sold out crowd at the Liverpool 02 Academy on Saturday as part of their UK tour. With over 900 in attendance at the long anticipated gig there was something for everyone with lively sets from ‘Ghetto blaster-pop’ rapper Tracky, 90s Rock’n’Roll influenced Columbia and indie-pop four piece Life At The Arcade who had the crowd feeling energised even before the headliners of the night.
As the six piece confidently made their way on stage to welcoming applause dressed head to toe in black, their intense charisma built up from years of performing together didn’t go amiss. Frontman Fran Doran led the way delving straight into brand new tracks from their yet unreleased debut album Matador which was recorded earlier this year.
With a consistent drum beat and their own unique Western meets Latino sound enhanced with Tarantino-esque trumpet melodies from Joe Corby every track had the entire venue dancing in a whirlwind of ballads and upbeat, hip-shaking pop.
With a successful year under their belt culminating with signing to record label Modern Sky there was an undeniable sense of emotion in the atmosphere The band took the opportunity to thank their crowd mid set with Doran saying: “this means everything to us. This night is for you” before continuing with Brando a more ambient track from the new album with accompanying acoustic guitar from Michael McDermott. The 50 minute set included some of their earlier releases including Calexico and Alone Together which was happily received by an eager crowd who sang the words back when requested by Doran leading to hundreds of voices singing in unison.
The highlight of the night stood out in the closing track Honey, a high-energy, 80s pop-themed single timely released on Friday. With pitch perfect vocals and even sweeter harmonies this was evidently as much of a pleasure to play as it was to watch as the parallel of joy between the six energetic bodies on stage and their audience was electric.
As they exit the stage continuous cheers from the audience leave hope for an encore. Finally an overwhelmed Red Rum Club return on stage to deafening celebrations. With that comes the familiar sounds of Pulp Fiction classic Misirlou and requests for the audience to, “Come to the front and get sweaty”. As the riff effortlessly blends into the smooth and smokey Angeline they give us one final dance with Lonely before the arena empties with echoes of ‘Red Rum Club’ chants.
For dedicated fans the 02 gig was a refreshing new view into the world of Red Rum Club with the help of the forthcoming album, cementing the beginning of what is set to be another great year for the six local lads. You can pre-order Matador here.
Words + Pictures by Naomi Campbell
